Mechanical Animal
by Misty Business
Summary: After the events of KH2 Sora, Riku and Kairi return to Destiny Islands in hopes of a well deserved break. Though a new brand of evil is beginning to surface with a girl appearing on their island as it's possible harbinger. What exactly is she hiding? OCx?
1. Chapter 1: Time is Running Out

**Mechanical Animal**

1: Time is Running Out (Muse)

"Wow…what a view…" Sora mused to himself, caught off guard by the setting sun far out of the shore. He dismissively drops his bundle of rope and other such debris wrapped in a drop cloth he'd been charged with collecting along the beach and plops on his bottom by the shore line, not much caring if the waves drenched his clothes. The water's surface reflects brilliant oranges and pinks while the sun itself lit up the near night time sky with a fiery red. A deeply wound up feeling of appreciation and homeliness hit Sore then, still surprised Riku, Kairi and he had finally made it home after their numerous ordeals and trials dealing with the looming threat of darkness and those who harbored it for self-satisfaction.

A goofy grin now plastered on his face, the teen lets out a content sigh and jumps back up to his feet. A sudden breeze whooshes against him, mussing his already untamed brunette hair.

"Better get back before Riku throws a fit…" he murmurs to himself, relishing the sea salt air. Aside from him, Riku and Kairi were the last ones on the island while the others had retired back to their homes at the first sign of night. Sora had been assigned to pick up any shore side junk that usually washed up every now and then. The trio had made the plan to leave at the same time so stalling to gaze at the sun set probably was not the best idea though… Sora didn't find himself regretting it too much.

Spinning on his heel, Sora moves to recollect his bundle when a deafening _CRACK _sounds from behind him followed by a blinding blue flash of energy. Sora stifles a gasp, turning back around to look out to the ocean. What he could only guess to be electrical discharges had began erupting right above the water's surface a few meters out, lashing out and licking at the waves. The crackling grows louder and the mini electrical storm gains some strength as the energy veins spread into the empty air. Even the water lashed out in random directions as if some massive invisible hand were disturbing it and splashing the waves about.

"What…What's going on!" Sora demands of no one in particular, taking a hesitant step back. His mind was screaming at him, that he should run back and alert his friends to this potentially volatile situation. Though he found he couldn't turn away from the phenomenon even as his heart began to beat faster yet in his growing tension.

The energy then seems to implode into itself with a _smack _which sends a whoosh of air in all directions that nearly knocks Sora off his feet. The water finally settles and the energy dissipates though not without Sora's eye catching something or maybe even _someone _dropping limply into the ocean at the close of the electrical spurts.

"No…. No way!" Sora exclaims, rushing out into the water. Sure enough when the teen reaches waist deep water, he spots a humanlike silhouette bobbing gently in the waves before sinking into its depths.

"Crap!" Sora pushes himself against the waves and plunges under. Instantly his eyes burn from the salt and his vision blurs though he still manages to spot the still figure that only seemed to sink faster with each second he wasted. Not taking any time to question his own sanity Sora pushes his body deeper into the murky blue.

_That better be an actual person down there or I'm going to feel pretty stupid!_

Sora gains some speed though his decent is painfully slow and his lungs seem to shrink inside themselves in his exertion. When he feels that he is close enough, Sora reaches out, grasping what he could only assume to be someone's wrist. A renewing push of adrenaline forces itself through Sora's veins and he, with the figure's waist now encircled with his arm, find his way to the ocean's surface.

"HEY, Sora! What the hell are you doing out there?" Sora, while struggling to stay surfaced, turns his attention to the shoreline where he could make out the distinct figure of Riku waving to him from the beach. Adjusting his limp weight so they both better stay afloat, Sora catches his breath before yelling back: "R-Riku! Help me damn it!"

Riku doesn't hesitate in the slightest, rushing out into the waves to meet his friend. In his effort to reach his friend he spots the figure Sora was struggling to support. The boy was practically inhaling water, putting whoever he had with him before himself.

_Typical Sora…_ Riku thought sullenly.

"Go to the shore!" Riku commands when he reaches the pair, grabbing the figure from Sora. The boy hesitates, as if not sure to trust his sudden burden with his friend. "GO!" the older boy repeats though with much more conviction. Sora finally turns back to the beach, relieved that he still had the reserve to push his way back. "And get Kairi!" Riku adds, hoping Sora had heard him. He takes a fleeting moment to observe whoever he held, noting that _it_ was definitely a _she_ and was not looking too well. He handles the girl next to him and somehow forces himself all the way back to the sandy beach with the girl still wrapped in his arms.

Riku takes a few seconds to catch his breath before moving himself to a sitting position. Sora was nowhere in sight so he guessed the boy must have gone after Kairi. Taking in another long breath, he finally turns his attention to the girl that lay at his side. His breathing hitches at the sight of her blue lips that were now turning a faded purple.

"Oh hell…!" Riku leans over the girl, putting his ear to her chest. Her heart beat weakly in her chest but her breath was nonexistent at this point. Of course, growing up on a place surrounded by water, you'd have to be completely stupid not to know what the hell to do in these types of situations (maidens magically appearing from electrical storms and all that jazz). Riku begins his act hastily, noticing how the hoodie she wore was twisted about her chest and torso. He finds the zipper and nearly rips the article apart to relive her from the constriction. Barely noticing the white tank underneath, Riku's face hovers over the girl's for a moment before their mouths meet for Riku to breathe in past her too cold lips. He repeats this once more before starting on chest compressions, taking care not to crush her ribs under the haze of adrenaline. He didn't know when Kairi and Sora finally arrived as he continued the process or when Sora knelt down opposite of him to grasp the seemingly lifeless girl's hand while Kairi stood behind him with worrisome tears threatening to brim over.

After administrating the approximately correct number of compressions, Riku moves back to her face to administer a couple more breaths. Finally, at the second whoosh of air, the girl lets out a gurgled, watery cough. The sea water spills out the corners of her lips as her eyes flutter open, wincing at the fading twilight. Riku brushes her brown hair from her face, panting himself from the exertion.

"You're okay…hey…" Sora comforts the girl while Riku sits back on his bottom and leans back to better regulate his breathing.

"Looks like you're still getting yourself into odd situations, huh Sora?" Riku mumbles though the humor wasn't lost in his tone. Sora glances up at his friend with a sheepish grin before returning his attention to the perplexed girl. The girl finally gains control over her coughing and hacking and tilts her head to meet Sora's eyes. They are a wonderful chestnut hue though slightly bleary from her fatigue. She flashes him a weary smile before succumbing to her exhaustion and dozing off.

"Is…is she going to be alright?" Kairi asks after a pause, the concern clear in her voice. Sora nods slowly, giving Riku another grin.

"I think so…she's just sleeping or something…"

"The question we really should be asking" Riku begins after finding the nerve to climb to his feet, "is what the hell are we going to do now?" He indicates to the girl's chest, where pinned to her tank is a small golden badge with the silhouette of a very familiar mouse head.

_So while decently short, this is the first chapter! Be warned this is NOT my first fic….I've been writing such abominations since I was about 10. I just never got serious with most of what I wrote and while fun to write, I see is as a handicap to originality. But that doesn't mean I can't indulge myself. :P The chapter title represents a particular song I felt reflected the chapter (or I just happened to be listening to it while writing) and the thing in () is the artist. I highly recommend you check out whatever music I was post 'cuz it is all damn wonderful._

_This takes places a few weeks after KH2 and in this version they did not receive that note from Mickey. So is it an AU? I dunno- you decide 3. CONTRUCTIVE criticism is welcomed! I plan to update very soon so if you did enjoy- keep on your toes! And I thank you for choosing to read *confetti* and please excuse my grammar screw ups-I'm a dreadful editor.  
><em>

_(I am aware that CPR preformed by a civilian rather than a paramedic has a __very__ low success rate but hey…It's Kingdom Hearts! So deal)_

_~Misty_


	2. Chapter 2: Every Day is Exactly the Same

**Mechanical Animal**

2: Every Day Is Exactly the Same (Nine Inch Nails)

"She's not too hurt is she?" Sora asks gently, gazing down at the mysterious portal girl.

"Probably not…" Riku answers, shifting her body to what he guessed might be a more comfortable position. After the girl's revival the group decided it was best to move her away from the nighttime elements so after a careful transport they all now sat in one of the seaside shacks a few yards from the shore. Kairi had collected any blankets she could find on their island to better placate the sleeping figure. No one had pushed on the subject of the mouse head emblem pinned to her chest though Sora had a dreadful feeling that his long awaited leisure time could possibly be cut short.

Kairi rolls her eyes and moves closer to the girl, gripping the hem of her shirt and pulling it up a little.

"Kairi what are you-"Sora starts in a panic though a look from Kairi silences him. She motions to the girl's sides. Both boys huddle closer to get a look when they both notice the skin over her ribs was beginning to turn an ugly purple tone. Riku blanches while his heart skips a couple of beats.

_I did that…didn't I? _He thought to himself as he turned away from the girl, no longer able to bare the sight.

"Hey, Riku, it's okay! I know you did what you had to! I'm just showing you so you guys will be careful if we have to move her again before she wakes up." Kairi assures as she lowers the girl's shirt back down. She pats Riku on the back to further comfort him thought he found he couldn't shake off a feeling of regret.

"Chill out buddy!" Sora says, waving his hand as if to dismiss Riku's fears. "If you didn't do what you did I'm sure this girl wouldn't have made it." Riku snorts at this, reaching over to muss the boy's hair.

"Me? Hell, if you hadn't swam out into the ocean like a madman she would be fish food by now." Sora chuckles at this, shoving Riku's hand away. After Kairi pulls a blanket over the girl she eyes Sora, crossing her arms over her chest.

"So are you going to tell us how you came to find her?" she asks, curiosity certainly not missing in her tone. Riku nods encouragingly as well.

"I was gonna get to that…" Sora pauses a moment before continuing," not really sure how I can tell you guys but she kind of just…appeared. Like from nowhere." Riku raises an eyebrow, glancing at the sleeping figure.

"You want to go into more detail because you're not making a whole lot of since…" Kairi says.

"When does he ever…" Riku smirks when his remark earns him a glare from Sora though the blue eyed boy takes in a breath before continuing: "Uh, well there was this electrical energy that came from above the water's surface. I'm actually surprised either of you didn't notice it 'cuz it was pretty bright." The two to others just shrug, waiting for Sora to continue. "That went on for a good minute or two before I saw her, "he points to the girl," fall into the water."

Riku doesn't saying anything, eyeing the girl pensively. _Okay, this one certainly has a bit of explaining to do whenever she decides to wake up…_

"Wow, really? I hope she isn't a bad guy." Kairi murmurs. Sora shakes his head at this.

"Naw, she's got the King's emblem on her. So she can't be all that bad." He insists with an assertive nod. Riku snorts at this, rising to his feet.

"Don't be too sure of yourself, Sora. We can't trust her so fast even _if_ she's with the king." Riku says as he heads out to leave.

"Riku, that's just stupid. How terrible could she be? She's just a girl!" Sora pushes, glaring up at the silver-haired teen.

"What do you mean 'she's just a girl'?" Kairi cuts in with venom in her tone. Sora turns to her fretfully, scratching the back of his head.

"Ah…you know what I mean…" he quickly stammers out. Kairi shakes her head.

"Nope, I'm afraid I don't."

Riku takes the opportunity to sneak out of the cramped space, relishing the sea night air. He moves out closer to the beach, the sky capturing his attention with its thousands upon thousands of glistening stars littered about the dark horizon. The moon shone off brightly as well, the lunar surface illuminating the wet sand and lazy waves. It was well past dinner time and while he didn't really need to be home at a specific time, he was sure Kairi and Sora were well overdue to return. They'd lost track of time in their haste to accommodate the girl.

Despite the serene world around him Riku found he couldn't shake a feeling of total uncertainty and doubt that they really had achieved peace throughout the worlds. The appearance of this girl shook him to his core even though she hadn't spoken a word to any of them yet.

_Ugh. Maybe I'm just paranoid. Nothing bad really has happened…_

Or could it be that he was just bored? It could be that he just wanted _something _to happen. Was he so stuck up on his past adventures that a normal life could never be enough for him? For all he knew Sora might even feel the same way…After all, _he_ had been the one to swim after that chick with little hesitation.

Riku pinches the bridge of his nose. Any more thoughts like this and he was bound to cause himself a headache.

"You alright?" Riku glances behind his shoulder to where Sora now stood a few yards from him. Sora looked uncertain if he should move any closer. Riku shrugs his shoulders and looks back out to the horizon.

"I'm fine. How's the girl?"

"She's still asleep so I'm not too sure…" Sora moves to stand next to his friend. "Seriously though, you look like you're thinkin' a whole lot. What's up?"

"Do you ever feel like there's still more for us to accomplish?" Riku says quickly, keeping his eyes on the water. He could hear Sora let out a long sigh beside him.

"Geez, I thought I was the only one. Glad you spoke up, Riku." Startled, Riku looks at Sora who flashes him a cheesy grin. "Though I gotta say you look more like a basket case as the days drag on."

"Shut up." Riku bonks Sora on the side of his head but only earns a small snigger from him. A few minutes pass in collective silence. Sora was practically squirming with excitement and worry. When would she wake up? What would she be able to tell him? If anything: was she going to act friendly towards him and the others? Why not? Without their effort she would have probably…

"Aren't you supposed to be home?" Riku pulls Sora from his thoughts.

"Eh…yea I was planning on leaving soon. But wait, should we leave her alone here? Or should we take her back to town-"

"I'm staying with her overnight." Sora recoils a bit at Riku's idea.

"Really? I mean, you're parents will wonder where you are and-"

"I'm old enough to make my own decisions. And if they do freak, you can just tell them I'm staying over at your house or something. It'll be fine." Riku adds with a quick nod.

"Fine. But Kairi and I are going to be here first thing in the morning before anyone else. Oh… what about-"

"We'll just tell'em what happened as they file in. Knowing them they'll all want to help ." Riku says, interrupting Sora again. "And then when she wakes, we'll let her make her own decision."

"I guess that works. Alright, I'll go grab Kairi. She's still lookin' over the girl."

"Heh, okay. See you later then." Riku claps Sora on the back with a grin.

"Yup! HEY Kairi! We're leaving!" Kairi emerges from the shack, annoyance written all over her face.

"Did you have to yell, Sora? She's still sleeping after all…." Kairi says as she approaches.

"She sleeps like a rock! We have to get going so Riku's gonna stay here to watch her-"

"Huh? What if she goes into shock or just freaks out?" Kairi insists, glancing nervously at the shack. Riku snorts at this and wraps an arm around Kairi's shoulders to ruffle her hair.

"Calm down…we've handled hundreds of heartless so I've pretty much got this under control." Kairi wriggles free from him and huffs angrily.

"I know…I trust both of you…But this is a delicate situation. We all don't know what she's all about." Kairi murmurs, fixing her hair absentmindedly.

"This is gonna sound kind of weird but honestly…I don't feel any dark intent from her. Next to no darkness. We obviously know nothing about her personality but from what I can feel from her heart is that she definitely hasn't come here to harm anybody or anything. She's entirely pure." Sora concludes with a nod. He'd been deliberating if he should tell the two this or not but he figured he should speak up now to at least ease the tension. Kairi stares at Sora with awe, tilting her head to the side.

"Wow! You figured all that out?" Kairi questions, the relief clear in her voice.

"From the few seconds where she was actually conscious, yeah."

"You guys going to leave anytime soon or are you going to wait for a search party to sail up and rescue you?" Riku butts in with a drab tone.

"Gosh Riku if you wanted some alone time with her you could've just asked." Kairi says heatedly, turning on her heel towards the harbor. Riku laughs loudly even if slightly irked by her comment. Sora waves his friend goodbye before running to catch up to Kairi.

Despite the fact that he hadn't voiced it, Riku had been able to feel the same kind of innocence from their visitor but it was rather reassuring for Sora to have pointed it out instead of Riku questioning himself if he had imagined it. Still, they couldn't judge the character of her heart while the girl stayed unconscious though Riku had a brimming theory about the King's emblem. If anything, she must work for him in some way. Maybe she was sent to their world on purpose? Too bad none of them had a real way of communication with Mickey since he had left with Donald and Goofy a few weeks ago. For now Riku knew he had to rely on his own patience.

Riku takes a moment to check on the girl (still dead to the world) before sitting on what could be called a mini board walk. Suddenly the weight of today's events seems to catch up to him and he lets lose an exhausted exhale before lying back against the wood paneling.

_Hey! Um…hello! Dude! _ Riku stirs in his asleep, ignoring the dream voices that could only be growing louder and more vivid in his head.

"YO! Wake up buddy!" Okay, that was a little _too_ vivid. Riku forces his eyes open only to be blinded by the morning sun. Cringing, he bolts up and rubs the sleep from his eyes.

"'Bout time. I thought you were dead or something…" Riku turns his attention to the direction of the voice and sure enough he spots the no longer sleeping beauty standing outside of the shack she'd spent the night in. She leans against the outside wall with her arms crossed over her chest and was giving him a quizzical and expectant stare. _She's awake!_

Riku takes a moment to give her a quick look over. She must have removed her light blue hoodie because he was able to see, that while decently slender, she has some definite muscle tone to her. With her hair now dry, its color matches her chestnut eyes. Riku notices for the first time that she wore no shoes but he figured she must have lost them in the ocean. Her skin is only slightly tanned but definitely not even- there were faded scars covering her chest and arms. Riku was shocked he hadn't noticed that earlier. Well it had been pretty dark outside and…

"You gonna gawk at me all day? Because it's makin' me nervous…" she voices. Riku shakes his head quickly, approaching her. She tenses a little but remains still.

"You were asleep for a while…you feeling okay?" Riku asks making sure to keep his voice even and kind.

"Wait a second, where am I?" she ignores his question with her own.

"Destiny Islands…"

"Okay, now can you tell me exactly how I got here? The whole process I mean? I passed out before I got all the way through so I really need to know so I can improve the method for the next time I-" Riku holds up his hands, cutting her off.

"First off, I really don't know what you're talking about. Secondly, I'm not the one who found you and he's not here right now." Riku said.

"Oh…hm…" the girl is visibly disappointed.

"I'm gonna ask again: Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why do you keep asking? It's very redundant."

"You stopped breathing." Riku says. The girl's eyes quickly flicker to worry.

"Ah…okay I get your concern now. So how did I resume my breathing?" She moves away from the shack as she spoke to the beach where she halfheartedly kicks up some sand.

"I revived you." Riku states bluntly, carefully watching her reaction. She turns around to face him once more, raising an eyebrow.

"Wow you're pretty cool in my book then. You have my thanks." She spoke so offhandedly that Riku wondered if she really did have brain damage or something. _I mean, who acts that casually when they learned they weren't breathing?_

"What's your name?" _I can at least test her for memory…_

"Uh, my name?" Riku slowly nods," M-my name is Kaida. Master engineer and inventor at your service." She grins widely at her own statement. _Okay I don't think brain injuries can make up such random professions…_

"And you. Mr. Hero?" Kaida asks, walking over to him. She had a not-so-ladylike stride to her and her tone carried defensiveness to it.

"Riku." Kaida nods, holding out her hand, which Riku politely shakes. He notices then that she's pretty short, about an inch under Kairi. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Heck yes. I mean, I'm expecting some side effects but we'll just have to wait for whenever they decide to show."

"Side effects…? What exactly did you- better yet: why are you wearing the King's emblem?" Riku points to the golden badge on her person. Kaida glances down at it and pauses, as if debating whether to tell the truth or lie. She takes in a sharp breath before speaking: "I work under King Mickey, actually. He's hired me for my skill though on a long distance relationship… so I don't see him too often."

"So how did you end up here…" Riku trails off when she moves away from him and to the nearest palm tree. She seemed to be eyeing the ripened fruit. Riku wonders if she had heard him speak.

"The easiest way to explain it is that my device fizzled and tore me apart from my world." She answers quietly. Riku, not knowing what to say, watches her. Kaida reaches into her pant's back pocket to reveal a decently large metal wrench.

_How did we NOT notice she was carrying that?_

Aiming carefully, she thrusts the wrench into the air to successfully knock a coconut from its high perch. Yelping with enthusiasm, Kaida gathers up the coconut and retrieves her wrench. She moves back over to Riku and plops down on the board walk.

"Do you know how you're going to get back home?" Riku asks after a beat. Kaida hesitates and Riku notices for the first time an uncertainty or even fear about her.

"Honestly…I'm not all that sure…" she answers in a diminutive voice.

_Is that a wrench in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?_

…_.._

_ANYWAY she woke up! About time huh? How do you guys feel about her? She's pretty loopy right? xD I'm struggling a bit with Kairi's personality for some reason so maybe I should go watch cut scenes on YouTube or something… Feel free to tell me what you think on any part of this. Visitors/ reviews will feed the need to write. Thank you very much for reading and tell your friends! :3_

_Oi! My first reviewer! 3_

_~Misty _


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